NunneyCastle5029 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Greetings, I am having a few issues with my 6 wheel milk tanker when shunting around my layout goods yard. The problem seems to be that the tanker derails itself easily when pushed or pulled around curved track work and points. Does anyone else have this problem? I have tried to add some additional weight to the chassis in an attempt to stabilize and reduce this problem with little to no success. I have had no issues with any other wagons inc the Hornby version of the 6 wheel milk tanker. Any ideas would be great. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Happy Hippo Posted August 2, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 2, 2014 In my experience, derailing on point work is usually a sign that there is something amiss with the back to back of the wheel sets. I have also had problems with 6 wheeled chassis, such as tenders where all the wheels are fully flanged and the radius of the curve is just too tight for the vehicle to traverse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix160 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Look at the wheel flanges, we had a set with flanges like razor blades and they picked every point blade in sight. Swopped the wheels with a Bachman set and checked back to back run like a dream since. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted August 2, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 2, 2014 Look at the wheel flanges, we had a set with flanges like razor blades and they picked every point blade in sight. Swopped the wheels with a Bachman set and checked back to back run like a dream since. You could also add a bit of extra weight. That would also help, but I certainly agree with replacing the wheels with Bachmann products. Regards, Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidnutter Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I have 5 of these. All have had extra weight added in the underframe and wheels swapped out. Axleboxes have also had a drill out to improve side to side movement. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Also check the couplings are free to move - I found the couplings too tight on mine which was causing them to derail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NunneyCastle5029 Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Cheers everyone, will have a bit of a play about and see what happens, will keep you updated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted August 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 4, 2014 One of my pair was always derailing at a particular spot. Checked the back to backs and all three axles were slightly different. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I have one of these, and like some of the above, swapped the wheels out. However, I only swapped out the outer sets, leaving the middle set alone. I did a straight swap with the wheels from an Older Dapol 4-wheel wagon in my collection. The milk tanker no longer derails and runs like a dream, and same goes to the donor wagon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combe Martin Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) I complained to Dapol Dave about this at an exhibition. He said that since my milk tanker was made, they'd changed the flange profile of their wheels (they were a bit 'knife like' as mentioned in post 4 above), and if I emailed my postal address to them they'd send me a replacement wheel set. I did, and the replacement wheels have fixed the problem. Edited October 21, 2014 by Combe Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikesndbs Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Hi all I just purchased one of these lovely looking tanks from my local shop and found that it derailed very easily, especially when being pushed. Placing it on a sheet of glass it was easy to see that the middle pair of wheels was causing it to rock, i.e. they are too high. It's only a fraction but sufficient to cause the issue. My answer to this was to remove the two outer wheel sets and replace with Hornby metal wheels which seem to be ever so slightly bigger. The result? perfect running. The two wheel sets from the tanker have been redeployed in a four wheel wagon and also run perfectly. Hope this might help others. Picture is after the changes. Happy weekend 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenrithBeacon Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Are the centre wheels sprung? Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikesndbs Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Are the centre wheels sprung? Regards Nope Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGV Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 My answer to this was to remove the two outer wheel sets and replace with Hornby metal wheels which seem to be ever so slightly bigger. The result? perfect running. I did they same, replacing by Hornby 3-hole wheels, and now they no longer derail even on 2nd radius curves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combe Martin Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) The problem is definitely the profile of the Dapol wheels, Dapol Dave (now DJM) told me this, and when they gave me a new wheel set (see post 11) it solved the problem, so certainly fitting a set of Bachmann or Hornby wheels should also fix it. On mine the wheel flange was so thin and knife like, that when pushing a milk tanker into a point, set to turn right and when the approach track was also a right hand curve, the flange of the leading left hand wheel (being forced to the outside of the curve) would hit the end of the point blade and ride up over it. Edited March 16, 2015 by Combe Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I've got some I bought just before Christmas, so presumably with the latest wheels. So far I've just been pushing them around the layout to test track as I lay it, and they do seem a bit unstable. Ideal for track testing though, as they easily fall off if there are any faults with my track laying!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Tex Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Great info here from all, I thought perhaps the point's were to tight for them, changed wheel set's, no problem. While we are on six wheelers could it be possible that this is also causing my old Hornby Triang 0-6-0 (1966) doing the same? Cheers, Tex. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulyardave15 Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Would a western class 52 of pulled the blue milk marketing board livered tanks in the early 70s??any ideas please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Would a western class 52 of pulled the blue milk marketing board livered tanks in the early 70s??any ideas please. Westerns were certainly the preferred traction for the milk trains from the Carmarthen area, so they would probably have had pulled some MMB tanks, though dirty silver and St Ivels orange and white predominated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Paul Bartlett's excellent website suggests the same thing. By the 70s, most tankers were dirty silver with St Ivel white/orange being the next most common (on the WR at least). Other liveries (usually pretty worn) could still be seen but were not common. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brmilktanks/h3d9c41c5#h3d9c41c5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 (edited) I have found 1 blue tanker in my collection of 52s on milk trains from the early 70s. Silver/dirt is the most common although a couple of dull orangey/reds can also be seen. Edited February 23, 2016 by Karhedron 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danstercivicman Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 I have just got two of these milk tankers and even with back to backs checked they derail very easily. Track is peco code 100 streamline and nothing else details... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 If you scan through the earlier entries you will see this is nothing unusual. Check the wheelsets. If you have happened on a couple with the original profile wheelsets, (flat tread, flange tapered on the inside faces of the wheels to a knife edge) change for alternative wheelsets or return for refund. These wheelsets are NBG. If the wheel profile is good, check for the wagons rocking on the centre axle - centre axle positioned lower than the plane of the outer axles - if that is present test the wagons with the centre wheelset removed. If they run reliably as four wheelers, alter the centre axle locations to provide a little upward movement to eliminate the rock and all should be well. Invert wagon, put a bare pin point axle in the centre position, use a soldering iron to slightly heat the axle and push it down a tad: very gently does it, only the slightest adjustment required. Conform that the rocking is eliminated, and all should be well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikesndbs Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Hi all I just purchased one of these lovely looking tanks from my local shop and found that it derailed very easily, especially when being pushed. Placing it on a sheet of glass it was easy to see that the middle pair of wheels was causing it to rock, i.e. they are too high. It's only a fraction but sufficient to cause the issue. My answer to this was to remove the two outer wheel sets and replace with Hornby metal wheels which seem to be ever so slightly bigger. The result? perfect running. The two wheel sets from the tanker have been redeployed in a four wheel wagon and also run perfectly. Hope this might help others. Picture is after the changes. Happy weekend This is how I fixed mine, been fine ever since 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 If you scan through the earlier entries you will see this is nothing unusual. Check the wheelsets. If you have happened on a couple with the original profile wheelsets, (flat tread, flange tapered on the inside faces of the wheels to a knife edge) change for alternative wheelsets or return for refund. These wheelsets are NBG. If the wheel profile is good, check for the wagons rocking on the centre axle - centre axle positioned lower than the plane of the outer axles - if that is present test the wagons with the centre wheelset removed. If they run reliably as four wheelers, alter the centre axle locations to provide a little upward movement to eliminate the rock and all should be well. Invert wagon, put a bare pin point axle in the centre position, use a soldering iron to slightly heat the axle and push it down a tad: very gently does it, only the slightest adjustment required. Conform that the rocking is eliminated, and all should be well. I agree. They tend to rock on the centre axles. I didn't have a running problem with mine but was wary of them feeling like they were teetering on the brink of derailing, so elongated the centre axle holes using a drill in the dremel. Like the soldering iron trick, gently does it. I have added more weight in the tank to one of the seven I own, but the others seem to be a little more resistant to dismantling without damaging them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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